UnderstandingIntelligence Haveyoueverwonderedwhypsychologistsstillcan’tagreeonwhatintelli- gence is? Or felt dismayed by debates around individual differences? Criticising the pitfalls of IQ testing, this book explains the true nature of intelligent systems, and their evolution from cells to brains to culture and humanminds. UnderstandingIntelligencedebunksmanyofthemythsandmisunderstand- ings surrounding intelligence. It takes a new look at the nature of the environmentandthedevelopmentof‘talent’andachievement.Thisbrings freshandradicalimplicationsforpromotingintelligenceandcreativity,and promptsreaderstoreconsidertheirownpossibilitiesandaspirations. Providing a broad context to the subject, the author also unmasks the ideological distortions of intelligence in racism and eugenics, and the suppressedexpectationsacrosssocialclassesandgenders. Thisbookisamust-readforanyonecuriousaboutourownintelligence. KenRichardsonisaformerseniorlecturerattheOpenUniversity,UK,andan independentresearcher,consultant,andauthor.Aftercompletingadoctorate in brain biochemistry he became interested in cognitive systems, chiefly developmental,andhowtheseareas,asintelligentsystems,areinter-related throughevolution. TheUnderstandingLifeseriesisforanyonewantinganengagingand concisewayintoakeybiologicaltopic.Offeringamultidisciplinary perspective,theseaccessibleguidesaddresscommonmisconceptions andmisunderstandingsinathoughtfulwaytohelpstimulatedebateand encourageamorein-depthunderstanding.Writtenbyleadingthinkersin eachfield,thesebooksareforanyonewantinganexpertoverviewthat willenableclearerthinkingoneachtopic. SeriesEditor:KostasKampourakishttp://kampourakis.com Publishedtitles UnderstandingEvolution KostasKampourakis 9781108746083 UnderstandingCoronavirus RaulRabadan 9781108826716 UnderstandingDevelopment AlessandroMinelli 9781108799232 UnderstandingEvo-Devo WallaceArthur 9781108819466 UnderstandingGenes KostasKampourakis 9781108812825 UnderstandingDNAAncestry SheldonKrimsky 9781108816038 UnderstandingIntelligence KenRichardson 9781108940368 UnderstandingMetaphorsin AndrewS.Reynolds 9781108940498 theLifeSciences Forthcoming UnderstandingCreationism GlennBranch 9781108927505 UnderstandingSpecies JohnS.Wilkins 9781108987196 UnderstandingtheNature– EricTurkheimer 9781108958165 NurtureDebate UnderstandingHowScience KevinMcCain 9781108995504 ExplainstheWorld UnderstandingCancer RobinHesketh 9781009005999 UnderstandingForensicDNA SuzanneBelland 9781009044011 JohnButler UnderstandingRace RobDeSalleand 9781009055581 IanTattersall UnderstandingFertility GabKovacs 9781009054164 Understanding Intelligence KEN RICHARDSON FormerlyoftheOpenUniversity,UK UniversityPrintingHouse,CambridgeCB28BS,UnitedKingdom OneLibertyPlaza,20thFloor,NewYork,NY10006,USA 477WilliamstownRoad,PortMelbourne,VIC3207,Australia 314–321,3rdFloor,Plot3,SplendorForum,JasolaDistrictCentre, NewDelhi–110025,India 103PenangRoad,#05–06/07,VisioncrestCommercial,Singapore238467 CambridgeUniversityPressispartoftheUniversityofCambridge. ItfurtherstheUniversity’smissionbydisseminatingknowledgeinthepursuitof education,learning,andresearchatthehighestinternationallevelsofexcellence. www.cambridge.org Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781108837132 DOI:10.1017/9781108937757 ©KenRichardson2022 Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements, noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress. Firstpublished2022 PrintedintheUnitedKingdombyTJBooksLimited,PadstowCornwall AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary. LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Names:Richardson,Ken,author. Title:Understandingintelligence/KenRichardson,FormerlyoftheOpenUniversity,UK. Description:1Edition.|r,NewYork,NY:CambridgeUniversityPress,2021.|Series: Understandinglife|Includesindex. Identifiers:LCCN2021022821(print)|LCCN2021022822(ebook)|ISBN9781108837132 (hardback)|ISBN9781108940368(paperback)|ISBN9781108937757(ebook) Subjects:LCSH:Eugenics.|Intellect.|Intelligencelevels.|BISAC:MEDICAL/Neuroscience Classification:LCCHQ751.R532021(print)|LCCHQ751(ebook)|DDC363.9/2–dc23 LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2021022821 LCebookrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2021022822 ISBN978-1-108-83713-2Hardback ISBN978-1-108-94036-8Paperback CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyof URLsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain, accurateorappropriate. ‘Ken Richardson has written a masterful book about intelligence. In contrasttowhatleadingbehaviouralgeneticistsandpsychometrically orientedpsychologistsseeasthemoderatelyorhighlyheritabletraitof general intelligence (IQ), Richardson explains why psychometric and behaviouralgeneticargumentsfail,andhowintelligenceshouldbeseen as a socially acquired characteristic. A longstanding expert on intelli- gence,hewritesinamannerthatcanbeunderstoodbybothacademic andgeneralreaders.Istronglyrecommendthisbookasanaccessible andimportantcounterweighttomainstreamdescriptionsofintelligence inthefieldsofpsychologyandbehaviouralgenetics,andinthemedia.’ JayJoseph,Psy.D.,psychologistandauthor,Oakland,California,USA ‘KenRichardson’sUnderstandingIntelligenceisatimelyandimportant additiontoCambridgeUniversityPress’sgroundbreakingUnderstanding Lifeseries.Richardsonprovidesa“naturalhistoryofintelligence”,andno facetofthatcomplextopicgoesuntouched–adaptiveevolution,embry- ology, endocrinology, circadian rhythms, neural networks, cooperative hunting.Inourcurrentmoment,wherescholarsandpoliticiansalikeare callingforgene-guidededucationandappealingtoinnatedifferencesas thecauseofracialdisparities,Richardsondebunksmythaftermythabout cognitiveability:thatthebrainisbestconceptualisedasamachine,that IQtestsmeasureintelligence,thatdifferentracialgroupshavenaturally differentintellectualaptitudes,thatthegenomeisaprogrammeforcogni- tivedevelopment.Theesteemedpsychologist,inexchange,offersavision ofintelligenceasadynamic,interactive,developing,adaptivesystem–a systemthatallowseverypersontointellectuallyflourish,ifonlytheyare giventheopportunity.’ JamesTabery,ProfessorofPhilosophy,UniversityofUtah,USA ‘Fordecades,KenRichardsonhasbeenaleadingvoicewithinthecritical approachestointelligenceinpsychology.Hepatientlyanddeterminedly interrogatedtheoftentakenforgrantedassumptions–andmyths–about themeaningofintelligence,abouthowitcanbemeasuredandtested, aboutitsheritabilityoritsapplicabilityasameasureofintellectualability in the school or the workplace. Understanding Intelligence provides a thoroughly researched and persuasively argued up-to-date overview of thisimportantwork.Itissuretobecomeanindispensableresourcefor bothacademicsandpractitioners,andindeedforanyoneinterestedinone ofpsychology’smostcontroversial,andflawed,concepts.’ JovanByford,SeniorLecturerinPsychology,TheOpenUniversity,UK UnderstandingIntelligence Haveyoueverwonderedwhypsychologistsstillcan’tagreeonwhatintelli- gence is? Or felt dismayed by debates around individual differences? Criticising the pitfalls of IQ testing, this book explains the true nature of intelligent systems, and their evolution from cells to brains to culture and humanminds. UnderstandingIntelligencedebunksmanyofthemythsandmisunderstand- ings surrounding intelligence. It takes a new look at the nature of the environmentandthedevelopmentof‘talent’andachievement.Thisbrings freshandradicalimplicationsforpromotingintelligenceandcreativity,and promptsreaderstoreconsidertheirownpossibilitiesandaspirations. Providing a broad context to the subject, the author also unmasks the ideological distortions of intelligence in racism and eugenics, and the suppressedexpectationsacrosssocialclassesandgenders. Thisbookisamust-readforanyonecuriousaboutourownintelligence. KenRichardsonisaformerseniorlecturerattheOpenUniversity,UK,andan independentresearcher,consultant,andauthor.Aftercompletingadoctorate in brain biochemistry he became interested in cognitive systems, chiefly developmental,andhowtheseareas,asintelligentsystems,areinter-related throughevolution.